Captain
by RainboIsland
Summary: Captain Red is supposed to lead her army into battle. But not if Princess Emma has something to say about it.


Looking out her window to the view of a whole camped army in the space that in any home Emma had ever known would have been called a lawn had never been something the blonde had thought she would experience.

But here she was. Staring out her window. A bit dizzied by the sight. As if by instinct she found herself searching for a familiar red clad feature.

Startled out of the examination of the army by the knock of a guard at her heavy oak door to her chambers, and the call for Princess. She had come to hate the title. She was no princess.

But she dragged herself from the window, and to the door, and the guard on the other side. He had been sent to retrieve her for another meeting with the council.

She hated the council too. It was hours of her sitting there, with nothing to offer, because she knew nothing of running a kingdom. Keeping the people of it happy. Devising strategies for getting food to the villages under it cut away by the war. Oh the war.

That was what they had spent to majority of their time on lately. The war.

It had torn through the peace that had settle over the whole of the land after the curse had broken. Emma had heard many stories about the ogre wars. But she knew without being told that this was worse.

This was Regina's wrath. The wrath of a mother who had her son taken from her. The wrath of a woman who had lost her lover. The wrath of a queen who had lost her kingdom. But above all, a woman who had been destroyed.

It was what they were discussing now. An attack plan to her kingdom. This was something Emma had actually gotten pretty good at, planning.

Regina had quite a few soldiers still throwing themselves into her army. Emma had no idea why they would want to fight for her. If they actually thought they could win.

The best bet was they were either cursed, or just as twisted as she had become.

"And we'll send Red and her troops in through this way when they're fighting on this front." Charming ran a finger down and around the dark mark symbolizing Regina's castle on the map that covered the majority of the table. The words he was saying, all the words, seemed to take a bit to register in Emma's brain, and when they did her eyes snapped to the map to her father's face. Which was turned away to nod to the red hooded captain behind him.

They were going to send Red in... The front door? First there was the alarm, then that wave of over protectiveness she had grown used to charged through her.

Red seemed to catch this sudden movement. Raising her brows at it. Their silent communication was at times uncanny. Months of hiding what they had had formed it. So it was pretty obvious Red knew what she was thinking.

Emma gripped the sides of her head and groaned. She had no say in where they would send Red. She couldn't even speak up for fear of setting off suspicion. Or because Red would probably get mad at her for being so overprotective, and not letting her do her duty.

Further detail was added to the plan. To the point where it could be plausible. But Emma still couldn't find herself approving of it.

She was still stuck in her head. Already worrying herself to death over Red, who hadn't even left the castle yet.

–

When she found her it had gotten late. Late and dark, and the rows of dwarfs and soldiers that had been up around their campfires. Telling tales of previous wars and battles. Had gone off to their beds, or whatever was serving as their beds.

She was pacing around the edge of the forest. Looking a bit like the wolf in her. She had the red cloak hugged around her sides. The full moon was looming. Two nights, and the whole white orb would be visible.

Emma had learned that Red could transform on nights other than the full moon a few months ago when she scouted as a wolf on the night of a half moon. Not an easy task for her. But tonight, tonight she was in need of the cloak.

"Ruby..." The princess called. She was pretty much the only one, other than Henry, really called her Ruby or Rubes anymore. She was pretty much just Red. Or Captain Red. It sounded a bit strange to her, just like Princess Emma did to Emma.

"I know what you're going to say." The brunette all but snapped in reply. Stopping in her turn to face the blonde. Emma took a few steps closer, down the dip of a hill. The shadows made it difficult to see the expression on Red's face.

"What am I going to say?" Emma asked, grabbing Red's arm as she started to pace again. "That I want you to be careful? That I don't want you to go? That I don't want you to go on a suicide mission! That I love you!" Emma released the cotton sleeved arm, and gave her head a shake. "That I wish I could go with you?"

"Emma-" Red started, but Emma put up a hand.

"But I'm being selfish... You have a job. A duty to do no matter how I feel about it." Emma gave her head another shake. Rather violently this time. "They won't let me go out into the battlefield. They won't let me do anything more than sit in that damned council, and plan. But I can't act on those plans. I want to go with you. I want..."

"To protect me?" Red supplied sarcastically. "You've always wanted to protect me Emma." She rolled her eyes. An almost invisible motion in the dark night. The lights of the castle, and camped army to distant to help much.

"Of course I want to protect you. I love you. I don't know what I would do without you." Emma sighed, and rolled back onto the heels of her worn riding boots. "But I have to give you your room. I have to let you do your duty right." Emma looked away from the brunette rather abruptly. Voice sounding thick.

"Em are you crying?" Red closed the space that had grown between them, cloak rippling out behind her.

"No." Emma answered instantly. Fingers sliding through her previously braided hair.

"Are you trying not to?" The captain pressed. Drawing her cloak around herself again the second she realized it wasn't close around her anymore. Before wrapping Emma in it too. Pulling her to her chest.

"No. I just want you to be safe."

"I know my troops. I know what I'm doing, and I'm pretty good at it. I'll be safe. Maybe not the whole time, entirely, but I will be in the end. You just have to trust that." She whispered in her ear.

"You know, no matter what you say I'll worry." Emma leaned back in Red's arms. Looking her in the eye with a hesitant smile that didn't quite reach much more of her face than her lips.

It was actually kind of ironic how their roles had reversed. Red had spent quite a bit of time worrying about Emma in Storybrooke as she battled Mr. Gold, and Regina. Now Emma was feeling that very thing Red led a charge.

"I know. But I can't stop trying to reassure you." Red leaned forward and met Emma's lips in a gentle reassuring kiss. That showed an emotion you _couldn't_ verbalize.

"Spend the night with me." Emma pleaded when they broke. Tugging on the front of Red's cloak. The army would start out the next day, and she wasn't sure she would be able to handle knowing that for one more night Red was barely fifty yards from her window.

"I can't take this off." The brunette reminded, giving the edge of the enchanted red hood a flick for emphasis.

"I don't care... I just want you with me."


End file.
